Diane Keaton’s Restored Oceanside Getaway

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Now up for grabs: one of Diane Keaton’s early restoration projects, a Laguna Beach house steps from the sand, with views of the Pacific Ocean, beach and rugged cliffs. Built in 1928 for the J. Roy Smith orange tree groves family, when the idea of having a beach house was coming of age in California, there were many excellent lots from which to choose. The Smiths chose a bluff overlooking the wide beach of Shaw’s Cove, which afforded protection from storm waves and an expansive view. The home was built in the Mediterranean Revival style with stucco, decorative Spanish tile accents, wood beams, carved doors, ironwork and terraces surrounded by lush plantings and an outdoor fireplace to toast one’s toes on chilly evenings.

At 71, Keaton has not slowed down. In addition to having written three books, she is well-known for her photography. The mother of two adopted children, she also owns her own wine company, The Keaton. In her spare time, she is a home flipper with a long history of buying, remodeling and selling houses in enviable locations—houses that exude as much charm as the woman herself.

Keaton is one of a number of Hollywood celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston and Meg Ryan who collect and sell homes as a side gig. No stranger to building restoration, Keaton watched her father do the same for most of her childhood. In 2004, Keaton bought the beach house for $7.5 million and worked her magic in the restoration, preserving and accentuating its fine original details. Taking two years to complete, she sold the 4,158-square-foot, four-bedroom, six-bath house in 2006 for $12.75 million. The space recently went back on the market impeccably maintained, with the same staggering views through the receding oceanfront glass walls that open the living and dining rooms to the trade winds. The wide sand beach at the bottom of the private stairs has the rarity of a water toy garage for kayaks and paddle boards.